I read this book in a day.
I had every intention of trying to pace myself, but I couldn’t. It was just THAT good. Written by Christine Riccio, it follows a young woman named Shane who is determined to make the best of her trip while she studies abroad in London. She’s made a list of things she needs to accomplish while taking an internship for her creative writing class. As a pre-med student, this would not make her parents happy, which is why she chooses not to tell them in the hopes that she might end up with a job by the end of the semester, along with new friends, romance, and more confident being. However, things don’t exactly go as planned, which is why she gets a second chance to make things right — again. The only question is will she actually do it better?
What I really loved about this book was who Shane was — a twenty-year-old who actually hadn’t experienced everything before she graduated high school. And by everything, I mean she hadn’t kissed a boy that she really liked or made any real friends. Not only was she uncertain about what she was studying in college, but she was also a little uncertain about who she was as a person, which is so pertinent and relatable to who I was, and I’m sure many others, in college too. In so many ways, Shane is just like me. I, too, was very shy and just followed a path that was very clear-cut and on the straight and narrow to get a degree that would ensure a good job because that’s what you were supposed to do. Unlike Shane, the pressure to do that did not come from my parents, but from myself. I had no idea what I was doing (and to be frank, I still don’t most times). I was also very shy and unsure of what I wanted to do for a career. I could go into a whole monologue about my time at college, but I’ll save that for another time. However, it was nice to read a novel where I could completely relate to the character. Not only did she write, but she also had a blog (uh, hello?) and a drive to do something that most people are afraid to do — completely change your career on a whim and hope to God that it works out. That I can relate to one-hundred percent.
I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about Shane’s love interest — Pilot. If you can ignore the weird name, then you’ll find yourself completely obsessed with him. I think many of us have met a Pilot, let alone had a major crush on one. Hell, maybe you’ve even married your own Pilot! I guess that’s the goal, right? Regardless, I think the way Riccio created their relationship between the two of them was so spot on. You knew the two of them liked each other right off the bat, but when you’ve got a shy woman and indecisive young man, things can get complicated. Nevertheless, by the time I finished the book, the thing that made me swoon the most was not the fact that these two were together, but that they each had their own lives in addition to having each other. In so many books, you are usually just left with the two characters running off to be together, but the fact that Riccio highlighted the importance of having something else other than just someone else to love, specifically a career that makes you fulfilled and happy, was amazing. Riccio, in general, checked off so many boxes of things I wanted in a novel such as this.
If those things don’t interest you, maybe it will trigger the travel bug in you. As I mentioned, this book takes place in London. However, like many people who travel in Europe, you’re bound to go to the surrounding countries, which is exactly what Shane and her friends do throughout the book. There are trips to Paris, Italy, and many more that will paint such a vivid picture in your mind that you’ll want to whip out your passport and go there immediately (if you haven’t already been there yourself).
After I finished reading this novel, I decided to read up on the author herself, Christine Riccio. Turns out we have a lot in common. In addition to studying screenwriting in college, she is also obsessed with reading. She even has a whole blog on YouTube dedicated to it. You can check it out here if you’re interested! I’ve already lent this book to my sister because I’m 100% positive that she’s going to love it just as much as I do, and I’m that sure you all will too! Let me know your thoughts about this book in the comments below!
September’s Book of the Month will be: In Such Good Company by Carol Burnett.
You can find a copy of it here!
***I do not own this photo
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